


Restricted Area

by steggyisimmortal



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, F/M, Gen, Steggy Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25455466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steggyisimmortal/pseuds/steggyisimmortal
Summary: Daniel Sousa comes back to New Jersey for the unveiling of the new SHIELD facility only to run into Peggy Carter and a man that looks vaguely familiar.
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, past mention Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 9
Kudos: 108





	Restricted Area

**Author's Note:**

> Story written for Steggy Week 2020 Day 4: Outsider POV.
> 
> If Sousa's your favorite person ever, you might not like the outcome so you've been warned. 
> 
> I had bigger plans for this but life had other ideas so it is what it is. I envision this fic taking place in spring of 1950 after Steve returns.

* * *

Daniel turned the radio down as he approached the gate. He reached inside his jacket for his ID to show the guard when he asked for it. He looked over at the sign posted on the front gate while the guard looked for his name on the list.

**Camp Lehigh**

**Birthplace of Captain America**

He sighed deep. Not for the first time he wondered exactly what he was doing here.

Who was he kidding? He knew exactly why he was here and it wasn’t to see where Captain America was born.

The guard handed him his ID and waved him on through.

It had been a long time since he was on a military base. He still didn’t see why he was here at this particular one exactly. He didn’t see any tall buildings. Nothing looked newly built. It looked exactly like he imagined it looked during the war. 

The SSR was being absorbed into a new organization called SHIELD. Daniel wasn’t quite sure how this was going to work but he had been assured he wasn’t losing his job as head of the west coast office and at the time, that was all he needed to hear. Now, however, he had questions.

That’s why he’d accepted the invitation and traveled all the way to New Jersey to see the new facility.

He just had yet to figure out where said brand new facility was supposed to be located among the barracks and mess hall and grassy fields. 

Shutting his car door, he slipped his sunglasses on. It was an unusually warm day for April but after so long in California, Daniel had grown used to the sun and heat. Still, with so many important names around, he kept his suit jacket on. Already he could see a number of senators mingled amongst some top-ranking army officials. The west coast office was still small, no more than 300 agents in the whole state of California. While he was already chief of the Los Angeles office, he was still looking at making a bigger name for himself. He wanted to be a chief his superiors could depend on for anything. 

If that meant kissing a little ass like his old buddy Jack Thompson then so be it. 

He nodded at a few of the agents he recognized. Outside of the senators and army officials, it was only the heads of each regional office that had been invited today. That was a small group now but Daniel was positive that once the integration was complete and they had more funding, they’d have an office in every state. That was an exciting prospect. The divisions would have the room they needed to grow and expand. He’d heard rumors that the SSR was scouting for the top experts in a number of fields. Having Howard Stark at their occasional disposal was nice and all but they needed people who didn’t have their hands in every pot. 

“Thanks,” he said. He took the pamphlet the MP offered him and gave it the once over.

It was an outline of the day’s events. It looked like every senator wanted to give an hour long speech. He rolled his eyes and glanced at his watch. 

He took another look around the base. It seemed like everyone was present just judging from the amount of bodies but no one seemed to be in a rush to get anything started. He could see some photographers fiddling with their equipment. 

That’s when he heard it. 

He turned his head to the right and sure enough, there she was.

Logically, he thought he might see her today but for some reason he wasn’t ready to actually see her with his own two eyes. 

Peggy Carter stood 50 feet away from him laughing with an older gentleman he didn’t recognize.

She looked amazing as always. Every strand of hair was immaculately placed. Her navy blue skirt and light blue blouse were crisp as ever, even in the humidity. 

He’d often thought about what he would say to her when he saw her again. Would he beg her to come back to California with him? Would he ask if they could give their relationship another shot, give the long-distance bit another go? Would he suck up his pride and say “sure, Peg, I’ll gladly move back to New York for you” even though being back in New York was the last thing he wanted?

He played out a different conversation every time and he never saw it leaning his way.

After so many years of being in the shadows of guys like Thompson, he didn’t want to give up his role as chief of the west coast office. But Peggy hadn’t wanted to give up her spot on the east coast, either. 

Daniel just wished he knew what she was up to these days. 

Thompson was still in charge of the New York office, much to his dismay. Guys like Thompson always seemed to get exactly what they wanted even if they never deserved it. Daniel could think of a dozen other agents more deserving of that spot. He’d heard rumors of a DC office and figured she might have been in charge of that but he didn’t trust the source of the information so he’d quickly pushed that aside. He didn’t see the brass giving that job to a dame anyway.

As far as he could tell, she was still a regular agent out of the New York office. 

Surely if he talked to her and explained his case well enough, she’d come back to California. He had an agent that wanted to relocate anyway. There was a spot waiting for her if she wanted it. 

He knew Peggy had connections to this base. That’s why he figured he’d see her today. He was glad he hadn’t been wrong about that assumption. It was nice to see he hadn’t been wrong to pack his best suit to wear.

He debated approaching her. It didn’t look like her conversation with this man was going to end anytime soon. He looked old enough to be her father. Maybe he was. He had a gruff looking face, like no matter what someone told him his expression wouldn’t change. 

He was going for it. What if he didn’t get another chance to speak to her all day? At least right now he only had to contend with this one person vying for her attention. The least he could do was let her know he’d like to talk to her when she had a moment. Wasn’t that all he wanted – to make his case? If that failed, at least he’d get a moment to catch up with her. 

He took a deep breath.

This was happening. 

Unconsciously he pushed his hair off his forehead and straightened his tie. He cleared his throat and started to walk towards her. 

He froze mid step.

A tall dark blonde man was hurrying towards her. Okay, he wasn’t moving that fast. His legs were long enough, the man could have just taken three steps and he would have been next to her. 

The tall man handed her a pair of sunglasses, her own presumably. Had they driven together? Was this man just being polite? He certainly looked beefy enough to be a soldier. Maybe she sent him to fetch them for her from her car. No, that didn’t make sense. She hated having anyone do anything for her.

Daniel squinted his eyes. This stranger was dressed much more casually than everyone else he’d seen so far – a pair of dark gray slacks with a white button-down shirt. He had on a pair of sunglasses, as if Daniel needed another reminder that he had left his own pair on the airplane. He had a close-trimmed beard; that ruled out soldier but he didn’t look like a senator either. 

Something kept nagging at the back of his mind that he’d seen this guy before. 

The tall man sidled up to Peggy and the old guy. He looked completely at ease with the two of them – his hands in his pockets and a passive look on his face. He answered when spoken to, laughed in all the right places. Not that Daniel could hear them but the guy laughed when Peggy laughed. 

Daniel didn’t like the look of this guy. Who was he? Why was he near Peggy? Why did the old guy appear to know him? Maybe he was the old guy’s assistant. Yeah, that could be it. 

Peggy looped her arm through the tall man’s and leaned into him.

Daniel’s heart dropped.

“Well, shit.”

* * *

“Let’s not keep the people waiting any longer!”

Everyone turned their attention to Senator Coleman. He had taken Senator Brandt’s seat after he died in ‘47 in a train accident. Daniel hadn’t dealt with Brandt much but Coleman was every bit as stubborn and just as much into showboating. 

“Now, I’ll try not to drag this out too long. I’m sure you’re all eager to see the new facility. This place has been a few years in the making. Phillips, come on up here.”

The old guy that had been talking to Peggy walked over to Coleman. 

So that’s who he was. Daniel vaguely recalled reading that someone named Phillips was in charge of one of the field divisions of the SSR during the war. He might have even been in charge of Peggy’s. He knew she’d worked on Project Rebirth but when Stark had been in a suspect in ’46, Daniel had found some sealed records dealing with the project and he’d always been too nervous to ask her more. 

“Take the damn picture already,” Daniel heard Phillips say. He turned around to see a group of photographers hurrying to get their shots in. “It’s hot as hell out here.”

Daniel turned back to where he’d last seen Peggy but both she and the man were gone. 

* * *

Daniel followed in line behind the small group of people. An MP was talking up front but he wasn’t really listening. He didn’t think the tour guide was necessary but the senator from Virginia asking all the questions seemed to be eating it all up.

The layout of the facility was pretty snazzy. A hidden elevator that took people down five stories to the twenty floors of offices and labs. An organization hidden in plain sight. It was a nice base. He was curious to see what they would do for similar offices across the country. There was a lot of desert space out west. He bet they could do something large with that. Then again, the west coast office was only a couple years old and he still didn’t have full funding so he didn’t want to push anything by asking. 

The halls reminded him a bit of a hospital and a school. He imagined that was the point. If someone wandered down that wasn’t supposed to be there, there’d be no outward sign of what the organization did. 

Daniel saw the group duck into a room down the hall. He wasn’t too keen to follow. His leg was killing him. Luckily there was a pair of chairs set up in the hallway so he took up residence in one.

It still smelled faintly of paint but he figured that was to be expected at this stage. It couldn’t have been easy pulling this whole thing together. Daniel didn’t know how long it had taken them but it had to be a few years at least. They must have been planning this since the war ended. Maybe even before then. 

It made sense. The war was over and the SSR only existed because of the war. At least SHIELD could take its place. As long as Daniel still had a job, he wasn’t complaining too much. 

He looked towards where the group had disappeared but he didn’t see anyone. He could faintly hear the MP talking to the group inside the room. 

He looked down the other end of the hallway when the door across from him caught his attention.

**MARGARET CARTER**

**DIRECTOR**

Ah. 

So that’s what she was up to now. 

That was just…great. 

* * *

This guy had to be her boyfriend. 

That much was obvious to him as much as he didn’t want to acknowledge that fact but there it was. The guy didn’t seem her type but maybe Daniel didn’t know her as well as he thought. 

He was trying not to be obvious staring at them from across the way. Everyone else around was going about their business and there he was pretending to read the bulletin board just so he could observe them together. 

They looked happy as much as it pained him to admit that. Peggy seemed relaxed. At ease. When he first met her, it was like she was always itching for a fight. A beautiful force of nature ready to punch the whole world. He couldn’t really blame her. After all, the guys at the office had treated him the same as her. 

He watched them as they conversed with one another. It annoyed Daniel how relaxed this guy’s posture was. There was Peggy looking like she was telling him her life’s story and this guy was acting like his grandma was telling him the same story for the third time that day! Every once in a while he’d say something, maybe gesture a little, but he just continued to stand there with his hands in his pockets.

What was with this guy?!

Daniel didn’t think he’d ever been relaxed around her. How could he have been? She was always on the move, onto the next fight. He never felt like that he could sit down and enjoy time with her. That wasn’t always such a bad thing. There had been a number of time sensitive cases they’d worked on together where time was a luxury they didn’t have. He always had to be ready to chase after her. Who knows what could have happened to her if he hadn’t been there to rush after her?

What annoyed him more than the guy’s posture was Peggy’s. 

She kept leaning towards the guy and putting her hand on his forearm. She was practically on top of him. Every time the guy bothered to say something, Peggy was all smiles. Her laughter would sometimes float all the way over to him.

Daniel didn’t see the appeal. 

Though he had no doubt his attire was an attempt to minimize his build, a person would have to be blind not to see the arms on the guy. Not that Daniel was trying to notice. He was half a head taller than Peggy but he seemed to take up so much space with his build. And that nagging feeling that Daniel had seen the guy before hadn’t left him. He didn’t see too many guys built like this one. Only one vaguely came to his mind but that just wasn’t possible. 

Did she leave him for this guy? Was that why she left California? Was she stringing this guy along on the east coast while she had Daniel on the west coast?

No. He had to admit that didn’t seem her style at all. 

Although she was friends with Howard Stark. Maybe she’d picked up a trick or two. 

But if he’d known she liked her men beefy and dumb, he would have picked up a few weights every now and then. 

Some raucous voices approached the couple – he wanted to vomit just thinking of them as that. Daniel moved a little closer to the bulletin board so they wouldn’t notice him. 

Holy shit. It was the Howling Commandos.

Not all of them. Just three but he’d seen enough of their war footage to recognize them. 

Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan, Gabe Jones, and Jim Morita. 

He was tempted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. The way the day was going as a whole, though, he kind of wished he was. 

Daniel watched as the group exchanged some words for a few moments before, one by one, they stopped to hug Peggy before moving to hug her guy. 

Why did everyone know this guy?! 

Not only did they know him but they seemed to like him. The only friend of Peggy’s Daniel could ever recall being introduced to was Angie and that wasn’t even because Peggy introduced them. 

Maybe the guy had been a member of the same unit as the Howlies. He had kind of a rogue soldier vibe but he supposed that fit with the Howlies. Word had been that their superiors hadn’t even given them orders because they weren’t following them anyway, that they just made them up as they went about the war.

The tall man said something to Peggy before walking off in the same direction as the Howlies. This was good. Maybe they weren’t together after all. Maybe she was supervising him for the day until his friends could pick him up. Yeah, that was believable. Maybe he was a shifty character and she’d wanted to keep an eye on him herself. 

That had to be it.

* * *

Daniel got so caught up reading the bulletin board – these army guys just had to walk around like they owned the place, giving him suspicious glances like he was the crazy one standing there - that he forgot he was even keeping an eye on Peggy.

When he looked back her way, she wasn’t there anymore. 

_Huh, guess that’s it then. Unless I want to make a fool of myself running around the place looking for her_ , he thought.

“Hello, Daniel,” he heard behind him in a soft, feminine voice.

Daniel froze for a split second. His hand clenched his crutch tighter. 

He told himself to relax, that it was just Peggy. He knew her. Had worked with her. Had kissed her. There was no need to be nervous, even if it had been close to two years since he’d last been in the same room as her. 

He turned, hoping it looked smoother than it felt. He put on a smile. 

“Hey, Peggy!”

_Too much enthusiasm. Tone it down. Act casual. Be funny._

“Or should I call you Director Carter?” he asked, gesturing around them.

He glanced down at the gold wedding band on her left ring finger. His smile fell. His heart hit the pavement. How had he missed that? He swallowed but he was pretty sure there was no moisture left anywhere in his body.

“Or should I be calling you something else now?”

She smiled. “Peggy is fine.”

Her fingers caressed the metal. She probably wasn’t even aware she was doing it. Or was she doing it to rub it in his face? No, that wasn’t her. They had ended amicably enough. He would have rather they never ended at all but he had to admit they hadn’t left cursing each other.

He thought she would come back so he hadn’t put up much of a fight. 

Daniel looked at her now that they were face to face.

She looked amazing. She always had but there was something about her now. Maybe it was because he hadn’t seen her in a couple of years. She had a smile on her face, not a boasting one but one that said ‘I didn’t even realize I was smiling.’ Her eyes were sparkling. He remembered that look from whenever she’d tell him a piece of evidence that would solve their case. 

He just wished he knew what the case was this time.

She was foreign to him. The same but somehow different.

“You look happy,” he admitted.

“Thank you,” she beamed. “I am. And you? How have you been?”

“Oh, you know.” He gestured dismissively. He searched for something to say. “Can’t complain about that west coast sunshine.”

“Hmm, I don’t know about that. Howard kept trying to get us to locate headquarters out there.”

She rolled her eyes. It was nice to know that the misadventures of Howard Stark hadn’t changed. 

“I see you won that battle.”

“The colonel and I may have had a few words with him,” she said.

“I noticed he wasn’t here.”

“Oh, heavens no. He’d muck it up with all the senators and unfortunately, we need them on our side for the time being.”

He nodded in agreement though he had no idea why. He had no clue what they’d gone through to get this place up and running. Agreeing with her just seemed like the thing to do.

“It looks like you’re doing well for yourself.”

She nodded. “I was in a bit of shock when the colonel called me with the proposition but I can’t say I had to think about it too terribly long. I’m glad you decided to stay on. We could use agents like you.”

“Where else would I go?”

He meant it to sound humorous but even he could hear the self-deprecation in his voice. Luckily Peggy was too nice to call him on it. He would chalk it up to their long absence. 

“Nevertheless. We’ve already had a few conversations about future projects once we’re up and running at full speed. I’ll make sure your name is at the top of our lists. Provided that’s something you’re interested in.”

He nodded eagerly, a little surprised she was already thinking of him for the future.

Which brought his mind back to the ring on her finger.

“So….who’s the lucky guy?”

She glanced down at her finger. She seemed to mull on her words before saying, “An old friend. It seems fate allowed our paths to cross again. We thought it wise not to waste the opportunity this time.”

He nodded, resigned. 

Her eyes caught something over his shoulder, her lips turning up in a smile. He turned to see what it was.

There was the tall guy again. Standing there like a beacon. Daniel barely managed to hold back his sigh. 

She had an apologetic look on her face when he turned back around to face her. 

“I’m terribly sorry to cut this short, Daniel, but I have an appointment in the city and I’m afraid I can’t miss it.”

He tried to act nonchalant. Why couldn’t he act more like her? She was standing there acting like they’d seen each other just a month ago. Why couldn’t he channel that?

“Yeah, no. Don’t let me keep you. I’m surprised you even had time to talk to me what with your new job and all.”

“It really has been lovely seeing you again.”

“You, too, Peg.” 

He meant it. 

Even though she was married now and there was no hope of them ever being a couple again, he was grateful to spend this short bit of time with her. He had missed seeing her face, seeing her smile. Hearing her laugh.

Even if she wasn’t doing those things because of him anymore. 

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. His skin tingled from the contact. She squeezed his arm one last time before walking away.

He turned to watch her. Her step still had that same sense of purpose he remembered. He’d always gotten the sense that she’d never walked into a room without confidence; her stride was always so purposeful even if she didn’t belong. 

When she reached the tall guy, Daniel barely smothered his cringe as he watched Peggy lean up for a kiss the tall guy was all too happy to provide. She slipped her arm through his as they walked over to their car. 

So that was that. Twenty-eight hundred miles and he was left standing alone watching the girl of his dreams walk away with another man. 

She was the one that got away. Always would be. 

It was time for him to move on. 

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> All flaws are where they're supposed to be.
> 
> I know it says Peggy and Steve reunite in Washington DC but SHIELD started at Camp Lehigh long before they were ever in DC in my opinion.


End file.
